Sermon File

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ and may our Lord and Savior sanctify you in the truth; for His word is truth. Amen

St. Peter and St. Paul, Apostles (2025)

Blessed are Those who are Saved by Grace.                                                                  Rev. Toby Byrd

“Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 16:16–17, ESV) 

The Gospel Reading for today is overflowing with Christian theology and doctrine as it asks:

• Who is Jesus?
• How do we gain the knowledge of who Jesus is?
• The Church shall prevail over evil.
• What are the keys of the kingdom and who is Jesus giving them to?
• What is the power of binding in heaven and earth?

Literally, there is enough doctrine in the Gospel Reading for today to preach numerous sermons. But without question the main point of this Gospel is the revelation of the Christ, the Son of the Living God, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Prior to Jesus and His apostles entering Caesarea Philippi, Jesus had questioned His apostles regarding Sabbath observance, eating with unclean hands, and many other matters regarding Jewish traditions, for these were the issues the Pharisees clung to in their opposition to Jesus. They weren’t interested in who He was. Therefore, in response to the Pharisees questions, Jesus quotes from Isaiah, saying, “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.” (Matthew 15:8–9, ESV) Which recalls the words of St. John in his Gospel, “He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.” (John 1:11, ESV)

So, in today’s Gospel Reading the question Jesus asks His apostles is the most important question of all; “Who is Jesus?” This is a question that many got wrong in our Lord’s day and many still get wrong to this day. However, Scripture teaches that saving faith is predicated on the knowledge of the Person of Christ; “Who is He?” Saving faith knows that Christ is both God and Man. Therefore, the question Jesus asks is not some academic exercise, but rather, a question of salvation value. Jesus declares that unless you believe in the His essential deity, you do not believe in Him. So, we pray, with the aid of the Holy Spirit: Help us to understand the Christ, that we may become the Blessed, those who are Saved by Grace.

At first Jesus asked His apostles, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” (Matthew 16:13, ESV) and His apostles answer, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” (Matthew 16:14, ESV) This answer shows that in Jesus’ time there was no single, messianic expectation for the Messiah in the Judaism of the first century. They had forgotten the important prophecies from God regarding His Son, Prophecies such as the words of Isaiah, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14, ESV) Or the words of the prophet Micah, “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.” (Micah 5:2, ESV) No, there interest lay in their future dream of overcoming the Romans and establishing Jewish nationalism and dominance over their neighbors. So, they cared not and knew not who the Messiah would be or where He would come from. But He would come. More sadly though, it reminds us that even in our time, this understanding of Jesus remains the same; confused, for there are a variety of answers for who Jesus is. However, Christ rejects those who consider Him to be someone His is not and He commends the faith of those who know Him for who He truly is. The mere fact that some are ready to give Him the title of God does not make them believers; if they deny His eternal godhead; if they deny that He is the only begotten Son of God, born of the Virgin Mary, thus both God and Man. Such as so not believe in the deity of Christ, do not possess saving faith.

Having heard His apostles answer regarding the people, Jesus turns to them and asks, “But who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15, ESV) I have been with you now for more than a year; “Who do you say that I am?” St. Peter, speaking for the twelve, says, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16, ESV) St. Peter’s confession is remarkable, for it is the correct one. It is the confession of everyone who are true followers of Christ. It can only be given by those who have been justified by faith. Faith which justifies is not just any kind of faith, nor is the object of faith Jesus Christ, teacher of the Law or some model of virtue, or even a prophet. No! Justifying faith receives and confesses the truth that Jesus is the only “Son of the living God,”“who gave himself as a ransom for all.” (1 Timothy 2:6, ESV) A ransom for our emancipation from sin, death, and the devil. Therefore, one must make the same confession as St. Peter if one desires to be Blessed by God and Saved by His grace, grace that comes through faith in His beloved Son, Jesus Christ.

Furthermore, it is important to understand from where St. Peter received the knowledge to confess Christ as the “Son of the living God.” Jesus tells him plainly it came from God. Responding to St. Peter’s confession, Jesus says, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 16:17, ESV) These words of our Lord put a stake through the heart of decision theology.

Our Lord Jesus makes it clear; St. Peter’s confession is one that reveals what God the Father has placed into his heart. Thus, Jesus proclaims St. Peter to be one who has received the end-time blessing of God, that is, of one who has been reconciled with and restored to God the Father through faith. Salvation from God comes through Jesus, and one receives salvation by having been brought to faith, to the true knowledge of who Jesus is by the Holy Spirit. Thus, Jesus does not praise St. Peter for his great insight or self-revelation, but rather our Lord pronounces that St. Peter has been blessed by God the Father who gave him the revelation of knowing who the Son of God truly is. He is Jesus the Christ. This response from our Lord Jesus clearly says that all who are brought to faith to believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, are brought to faith not by their efforts, or works, or deeds, but solely and only by God’s loving grace and mercy which He pours out upon us through the Holy Spirit. As St. Paul said, “he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,” (Titus 3:5–6, ESV) All glory and credit go to God alone.

After having called St. Peter blessed by God the Father, our Lord Jesus says, “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18, ESV) Sadly, many have used this verse for nefarious purposes, but in these words our Lord Jesus speaks volume regarding the Church.

First, He says, “on this rock I will build my church,” This promise of Jesus begs the question, what does He mean? What is this rock on which He will build His Church. Many debates have occurred since the time of the Reformation regarding this promise. In fact, there are few other sayings of Jesus that give rise to so many differing opinions in the Christian church. So, we ask, what is this rock, upon whom or what will Christ build His church? To whom are the promises given?

First and foremost, we must not focus on St. Peter for he is a man just like us, flawed like each one of us. Lest we forget, not long after his confession, St. Peter rebuked our Lord for telling His apostles that He must die. To St. Peter’s rebuke, Jesus said, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” (Matthew 16:23, ESV) Again, we recall, that on the night our Lord Jesus was betrayed, St. Peter said, “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.” (Matthew 26:33, ESV) To which Jesus replied, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” (Matthew 26:34, ESV) Sure enough, before the night was over St Peter had cursed and swore that he did not know Jesus no less than three times (Matt. 26:69-75). Where is St. Peter’s faith now?

If the rock was St. Peter, Jesus would have said, “Upon you I will build My Church.” But no, rather than St. Peter, when Jesus says, “on this rock I will build my church,” our Lord is speaking of the Christological confession of St. Peter’s, for it is the confession of all the apostles. They all make the same confession that Jesus is the Son of the living God. Therefore, it is upon this confession, this rock, this solid foundation, that Jesus will build His Church. Moreover, building His Church on this confession, Jesus adds another promise, “and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

Indeed, “the gates of hell” are continually waging war against the Church, and it is Christ alone who preserves the Church against the onslaught of the powers of hell. Behind everything that harms and hinders the Church, are the efforts of the evil spirits, especially the evil one, Satan. Many go to church on Sunday morning and come away empty, for as Christ has said, “The devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.” (Luke 8:12, ESV) Such, too, is the false doctrine, the commandments of men, proclaimed in many churches. Christ has condemned such preaching, saying the “enemy [comes] and [sows] weeds among the wheat.” (Matthew 13:25, ESV) Christ wants His Church to maintain pure doctrine, that which conforms to God’s Word, Holy Scripture, which is the comprehensive summary, rule, and norm of all teaching. False doctrine is the work of the devil. Furthermore, we must not forget that the Church is also persecuted and oppressed by the State and that persecution, regardless of its source, has it origin and activity in the evil heart of Satan and his evil spirits.

So, Satan continues his assault on the Church leading men to deny the inerrancy of Holy Scripture, leading them to establish their own doctrine, to speak lies rather than truth. Moreover, he influences and directs the evil of corrupted government and thereby, leads families away from worshipping God. He forbids marriage, and he tempts the married to infidelity, the unmarried to fornication, the thief to steal, and the blasphemer to utter all sorts of false testimony against their neighbors. There is no cessation of the devil’s assault against the Church and her members.

Having established who He is, how one comes to the knowledge of who He is, and that the Church which He will build will stand forever, our Lord now says to St. Peter, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 16:19, ESV) 

To many, Jesus is speaking in riddles, so they ask, “What does He mean by, “keys of the kingdom of heaven and binding and loosening on earth and heaven?” Our Lord has just declared that Satan will not prevail over the Church, that is true church where the Gospel is preached in its purity and the sacraments are administered according to that Gospel. This is the church of which Satan will not be able to destroy. This is the true assembly of our Lord’s disciples, the new Israel; and to this church He entrusts the “keys” of the kingdom of heaven. What do keys do? They lock and unlock. Thus, when one asks, what does Jesus mean by the “keys,” He is speaking specifically of that Churchly Office of the Keys, which is that special authority which Christ has given to His church on earth to forgive the sins of repentant sinners, but to withhold forgiveness from the unrepentant if they do not repent (LSC). This is the authority to unlock and lock sins.

On the night of His resurrection, Our Lord Jesus, “breathed on [His apostles] and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” (John 20:22–23, ESV) Moreover, after having given His apostles instructions in how to address a brother who sins against you (Matt. 18:15-17), He said to them, “Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 18:18, ESV)

Therefore, here we have three separate times when Christ has given His apostles, thus the Church, the authority to forgive or retain sin. The promise of the keys of the reign of heaven is given to the Church because of the Church’s God-given ability to proclaim the truth about Jesus, and it is that proclamation that opens God’s reign and its blessing to those who believe─ or to shut off that reign to those who reject it. The sinner who is contrite and sincerely repents of their sin is forgiven. The sinner who refuses to repent, whose obstinance is displayed in his denial or his unwillingness to repent, is denied the forgiveness they reject. One who is truly a child of God will not hesitate to confess their sins and seek absolution.

Therefore, we confess, “I believe that when the called ministers of Christ deal with us by His divine command, in particular when they exclude openly unrepentant sinners from the Christian congregation and absolve those who repent of their sins and want to do better, this is just as valid and certain, even in heaven, as if Christ our dear Lord dealt with us Himself (LSC).

Furthermore, when Jesus says He will build His Church, He is speaking of the one apostolic and catholic, that is universal Church, scattered around the world, of which He expressly says “I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.” (John 10:16, ESV) One flock, one Shepherd, one Church, one Christ, that is guaranteed to exist until the Last Day by the Divine Promise of Christ. That is the Church which St. Paul speaks of when reciting the words of God to Elijah, “I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.” (Romans 11:4–6, ESV) This is the Church of the Promise, the Church that holds firmly to the teachings of Christ and the Word of God. This Church is the remnant of true believers who will be standing on the right-hand side of Jesus on the Last Day. This is the Church Christ will build, this is the Church against whom Satan will not prevail, and this is the Church whose members are the Blessed, who are Saved by Grace.

Yes, Christ’ Church will stand despite the challenges from without and from within. And of those who genuinely make confession of Him as Christ, the Son of the living God, He will make a host of redeemed people, a company of saints, who will testify to His holy name and do His work in the world. What comfort to belong to this company! What comfort to confess that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God who gave His life for us so that we might come to this understanding and be saved to eternal life in heaven. Thus, when Jesus asks, “Who do you say I am,” we can confidently answer, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” In the name of Jesus. Amen.

May the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.